Game of the Month: Pragmata (April 2026)

Pragmata, hands down. After reading about Saros story(and especially the ending) im happy i waited with the purchase.

Edit- altho i absolutely love Mouse PI too.

Pragmata and Saros are easy ones for me. If I had to go for one over the other, it's Pragmata. I love Saros (I loved Returnal), but so far at 7 hours in, I am missing the hardcore feeling of Returnal and its modifiers that made it feel more demanding and thrilling to do a run.

I think Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege would be too if I had the time for it!

This NTE is turning out to be a bit pump whilst looking good.

Absolutely Pragmata, no question about it!

@ErrantRob Just use the Carcosa Modifiers to stack the odds against you? Don't buy upgrades after a run?

It took me a lot longer to beat the first biome in Saros than Returnal's (and I breezed through the rest of Returnal after that. No such breezing happening with Ssros).

@species I also saw the ending and decided to skip it for now.

I always feel ineligible voting for these if I didn't play any of the games. I would pick Hades II though... which I will hopefully be starting this week.

I would say Tides of Tomorrow despite the fact that I played through it on Xbox and it's missing from the list either way. 😑

Shoutout to the 2 people in the poll who probably never played a videogame before and voted for Starfield. Fear not! Most games aren’t as glitch riddled and borderline unplayable. There are plenty of high quality, polished experiences out there, don’t give up👍

Saros for me (barely). After a shaky start in the first biome, it's come alive beautifully. Housemarque really do have some of the best gunplay in the business. My only complaint about it is it's kinda made Returnal redundant.

Pragmata is so very close to it. The hacking/shooting is something I've never seen before, and there's a great heft to the gunplay as well. I didn't care for the story, and was thoroughly sick of listening to Diana by the end.

I anticipate precious little being up there with those two at the end of the year.

Pragmata and it's not close.

@Americansamurai1 @species You guys are skipping a gameplay-driven game because of some goofy story ending?

@Fishysensei another vote for tides of tomorrow from me

Pragmata and Saros have both been amazing games thus far, tough to decide as I’m deep into both but haven’t beaten either yet. With that in mind, my vote goes to Saros as it just ticks off more boxes for me personally.

Saros for me, I'm loving it. The movement and gunplay have been refined and it feels excellent to play. I played Pragmata and Hades 2 as well and I thought they were both great, but there's something special about Housemarque games.

Definitely Pragmata but I also really enjoyed Mouse PI. NTE is cool too but I only played it for like an hour so far lol.

I don't have enough time invested in Saros yet but it's really good. Pragmata was my pick, I really enjoyed the game and didn't even bat an eye at running through again on Lunatic for the Platinum.

Capcom have a great new IP on their hands, but at risk of spoiling things, I don't know how they'll go forward from that ending.

It's hard to choose between Saros, Pragmata, and Mouse P.I. These 3 games are new IP that deserves the spotlight.

Even with it's unacceptable lack of stability, I gotta go with Starfield. NASApunk for the win.

@Balaam_ Your condescension is noted 👍

Pragmata no question. I almost wish/hope GTA 6 gets pushed again just because I think GOTY would be really interesting this year if that didn't come out.

@species Whatever you have read about the ending is completely wrong, as some who has got the true ending yesterday can I assure you it's nothing like that at all.

Edit: Also Housemarque themselves have said they are gameplay first story is secondary when it comes to games.

@For-Kier Friendly reminder RDR2 didn't win GOTY the year it came out.

Saros is the clear winner. If you think it's Pragmata you're wrong.

Incredibly small niche but been smashing out Starfield since launch, bloody loving it. The others are on the wishlist for the future.

Hades 2 for me, but I haven't even had time to check out Mouse, Pragmata, or Saros.

No love for Darwin’s paradox is sad.

Saros for me but I have to say Pragmata is a very close 2nd

@datamonkey Loved that one too!

@datamonkey I have this but haven’t played it yet. Enjoyed the demo though!

Pragmata clears easy

@Dom_31 Yeo, had more or less the same experience.

I wanted to cash out after the second biome's boss, ended my run there, etc. Jumped into the third and got slapped. Went back via the start and blasted through it.

I was worried because it was being made out the game would be a breeze vs. Returnal, but it's really not.

Two biomes in, but I will give Saros the edge over Pragmata (which I finished with the extra ending). Saros is just a pure gameplay rush.

Saros for me. I've no interest in Pragmata, and the only other game I've played is Starfield...god, what a mess... I saw that BGS may have some news on FO5 soon, but I've got no interest after the launch of Starfield.

I still have the final area to do in Pragmata. I'm wanting to 100% all the others and complete the training before I go ahead and race to the finish.

@PuppetMaster I know it is....but I wouldn't call Saros "new IP". It's almost new-adjacent.

It's a close one between Pragmata and NTE for me, but purely because I want to see proper single player games do well my vote goes to Pragmata. I also played Mouse PI for Hire but honestly looking back it wasn't very good, way too repetitive hardly any detective work and way too many cheese puns.

Even without having played it yet I’d give it to Pragmata because it actually tries to be something new.

Saros is a great game but after being obsessed all weekend with it and spent almost 30 hours playing I’ve got to say it’s a bit of a step down from Returnal, biomes were more diverse and level design was more engaging imo, gameplay is top notch but Returnal had more and better weapons, plus the story for Saros is straight up trash, what an amazing setup and potential lore just to tell that, however permanent upgrades are very welcome and by far the best improvement over Returnal and I hope it evolves so that their next game isn’t a roguelite.

Saros for me! On PS5 Pro it's buttery smooth and looks freaking amazing! Just got past Biome 2 and loving it!

Pragmata hands down.

I don't intend on playing Saros, but would that not be best placed in next month's poll?

@MrPeanutbutterz Yeee i dont wanna support games like this. Everyone votes with their wallet right?

I have sutch a huge backlog across multiple platforms(including Returnal) that ill be ok

@WavesOfActivity Oooh ye Hades2 is a delight! Probably wouldve voted that one if i didnt finish it on switch2 already.

@species Yup, voting with your wallet is your right and something to use when you see fit.

I guess I seem to be an outlier with modern games. I skip every cutscene. I don't even know the name of Saros' protagonist, yet have already played 16 hours, it's my GotY so far (and will be right up there come December).

I'm here almost exclusively for the gameplay, very little else.

Pragmata of course 😁👍
I bought Saros as well, been playing for 6 hours.
Think I like it more than Returnal, but still, not totally hooked yet. Was hoping for the same random maps, as it gets boring to run through, basically the same ones.

So yeah, Pragmata still gets my vote.

@MrPeanutbutterz pretty much, why do you care how I spend my money lol. Plus was already on the fence with it anyways.

@Americansamurai1 I couldn't give a honk about how you spend your money. I'm here to discuss (checks notes) games. I'm assuming you are too. So I'm curious about the mindset of someone that takes a gameplay-first game (as in, that's 95% of the appeal of it), then says "nah, there's a goofy story beat" and skips it.

Seeing as the gameplay is getting almost universal praise, what you're doing is akin to skipping one of the best steakhouses in town because their side salad that almost no one orders isn't good.

Pragmata is the only game I've had time to play this month (and a bit if Lunar before Pragmata came out, but that doesn't count). I haven't been able to play anything at all in days, so I'm itching to get a controller in my hand at some point this week and finish out the post game. My backlog is starting to grow faster than my in-game hours counter.

@MrPeanutbutterz to me it's about sending a message, I'm voting with my wallet, it might be just a small thing now, but it could turn into a big thing on their next game. Also like I said was on the fence and this just gave me a push. People have to make the choice on their own though, to each their own

The only "playstation" game is Saros. The rest are multiplatform.

My mind says Saros but my heart says Invincible VS. I know I know. But Invincible VS for me is my favorite 7/10 game I’ve had in a while.

Since I've only played one game on the list, I had to vote for it - NTE.

Though I always hate these lists - they're generally more about who had the best marketing and reviews than which game is actually the best, because I doubt 1% of people voting actually played every title.

@MrPeanutbutterz Gotta say the gameplay(and the graphics, sound and overall art direction) seems absolutely stellar.

@THEBrew I'm honestly amazed there are still people dumb enough to listen to that fraud of a "critic"

There’s no contest here, Pragmata, it’s currently my GotY. But what an incredible month, Pragmata, Saint Slayer, Saros, Vampire Crawlers, Mouse P.I., and Hades 2!

@charbtronic It still a new IP

I voted Pragmata but I do like Saros. I just suck at it. The game felt so bad for me, it gave me the modifiers because I still can’t beat the first boss😂

@MrPeanutbutterz I know that’s the simplest answer. I think what I’m feeling goes beyond that. I miss the items that you got to purchase and make run choices with (such as the astronaut). So while I could crank up the difficulty with the modifiers, it wouldn’t change the economy. I even miss to some degree the unique weapons. Everything up through where I am now feels more sterile in name or design.

Pragmata for sure.

@MrPeanutbutterz I don't get why some people have this mindset as if every games needs to have a deep-compelling story narrative that cater to their taste. Why some games can't focus on gameplay first and let the narrative standing in the background without interrupting gameplay in every minutes with a lot of cutscenes or characters yapping?

Other: Crimson Desert. Just can’t get enough. 😂

I'm going with Pragmata, for a variety of reasons: creativity, style, performance, character design, replayability etc. Just an overall great game.

I also got the plat for Saros, but I don't think it deserves as much: great gameplay, but it's basically "Returnal for everybody" lacking innovation.
Oh, and of course there's THAT ending. If you bother watching the cutscenes at all, I mean

@species

Wait, Saros has a story? Cant say i've ever played a Housemarque game for its story. 🤔

Well, Saros is not my type of game, Pragmata I didn't play yet (seems good, but i'll wait for a discount), and the rest I don't like.
So for April I'll go with Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred expansion. Technically not a new game, but with so many changes and the new content added, it might as well be considered one.

@PuppetMaster I just can't comprehend it. Like did they walk into an arcade thirty something years ago, see Metal Slug, and say "I don't think Marco has any depth as a war hero, game is 0/10". Or throw their NES controller at the wall when they finished World Two of Super Mario Bros. and say "of course she's not in this castle either, such predictable writing!".

I always felt that the name of the medium should be the big giveaway. Videogames. They're quite literally games. Like I'm not into sports (well, I enjoy cycling, but you get what I mean), but I wouldn't go to a tennis match or tune into the snooker for the narrative, characters, etc. I would to observe the game.

Though the funniest thing for me in all of this is anyone I've ever met that is a "story-first" gamer doesn't read because plot-twist, the medium whose entire purpose and hook is to tell a story is infinitely better at telling stories than the medium where the hook is using interactivity and direct control to overcome various fail-states (AKA "winning the game").

I'm certainly enjoying Saros (finally - after a little rocky start for me), but Pragmata was a whole 'nuther animal. I did not put it down until I had finished it. I cannot even remember another time where I did that.

@MrPeanutbutterz Imagine these people finished Contra on NES and the ending only showed a chopper left an island followed by a big explosion and ending credit. No characters yapping, no explanation about the aliens, no character development for Bill and Lance etc. They must be furious lol.

I'm glad we still get video games that feels pure video games. I don't hate games that focus heavily on narrative or story. I mean, i really enjoyed RPG's and games like Uncharted, TloU, MGS etc. But a lot of times i just want to boot a game and get straight to the meat. No yapping, no long cutscenes, just gameplay.

Got to be Pragmata

@Balaam_ I'll take your shout-out, and give you a high five... I bought Starfield day one and put 180 hours into it and in that time it's crashed on me 5 five times which isnt to bad, and I'm having a blast playing it. So yeah, I would say money well spent.
PS: I voted Starfield

@SuplexingTrains
Pretty presumptuous saying I don't care about story, I never actually said that. 🤔

It's sarcasm and an observation, most people don't pick up Housemarque games for the story, personally though unlike others I'm not one to judge.

Sad to think some people won't play Astro Bot because there is a lack of story

@SuplexingTrains Okay, congrats, I guess? I never claimed my ancedotal experience was anything more than that. And who else's anecdotal experience am I supposed to relay?

@SuplexingTrains

See, this is the sort of comment that doesn't make sense to me. If the devs didn't care about the story, they wouldn't have had one. But with Returnal (haven't played Saros), there are so many audio logs... The flashbacks... The cutscenes when you die.

The logs are all easy to ignore, and the cutscenes are skippable. So yes, people wave away the complaints as "gameplay-first", because that's exactly what it is.

But of course there's something resembling a story. Go play the first Mario game. There's a "story" to that, but it's there to accommodate the gameplay.

Now all that's left is for Onimusha to win the month is comes out and Capcom complete the set.

Currently playing Pragmata after finishing Saros…both great games. They kind of intertwine on some level as they feature two very different kind of AI as a character.
That said, saros is undoubtedly the best of the two for me: better gameplay, better story, better sound and visuals.

@Nei Agreed except on the story, Pragmata is way more relatable and emotional while also being intriguing and much better paced.

There comes a point in Saros’ story when I just stopped to process “is this really what the story is about?”, they built an awesome world in Carcosa and basically some Alien-movie setup with lots of lore potential but they chose to tell some random soap opera.

So that's where all the Saros money went lol.

I havent played Pragmata, Mouse P.I., Starfiled or Hades 2. Im only playing Saros and that I havent finished.

@TheArt Yup. George Saros at it again.
(shakes fist sternly at Illuminati)

Pragmata is a worthy choice though Saros (which I’m still fairly early in) or Hades 2 (an excellent game which has been around a while but is new to PS) would also have been reasonable.

Haven't played Saros yet, but Pragmata is a joy from start to finish. Such a gem

@AdamNovice no, the worst is true

In any other year Hades 2 (another GOTY contender) would surely have won this monthly award. What a start to 2026.

@IOI Idk I prefer the emergent narrative of Saros and I was expecting the psychological angle but it still went somewhere else - Pragmata’s story is sweet but kind of predictable form the beginning and told in a very conventional way. I don’t think either story is exceptional but Saros makes more of an impact

I only got to start playing it this week but it's a superb game.

I didn't have it on my radar really until the demo came out and that was enough to convince me to ask my wife to get me it for my birthday and definitely no regrets

@BIG3 It's not too difficult really. It's harder towards the beginning before you get some upgrades but as you can purchase late game weapons early on, the raw damage offsets having less health and power ups. Definitely look in to doing a heat build, it shreds through enemies.

@species Do you usually read the game stories before buying them? Or this was an isolated case?

I really loved The Occultist.

@DarianStarfrog No, you are full of it.

@Dr-M Not not usually, i do however watch reviews and opinions of few youtubers i trust.

And where theres a controversy sutch as this one, i tend to look into it myself to form my opinion before buying.

Hope it cleared it up for you and thank you for your interest in my decision making! Its nice to know im looked after.

@species thank you so much for answering. You are really a nice person, bless you.

@Dr-M You too sir! Hope you have a pleasant day!